What's A Girl to Do?
by skyys.angel
Summary: One fortune teller, two crazy best friends, impending love - or doom - and one not so alone redhead. What's a girl to do? GW/BZ HG/DM. Disregards HBP & DH. Excerpt: "I'm supposed to fall in love with a Slytherin!" I all but screamed...


"Do I really have to do this?" I whined.

"Yes, Ginny, as a matter of fact, you do," Hermione said smugly, "Luna and I both did it, and you said that you would do it if we did." Even though I wasn't looking at her, I could still see her smirk haunting me when I closed my eyes. I vaguely considered screaming and running away, but then I realized that Hermione would probably catch me in seconds. I looked down, no doubt with a defeated expression on my face.

"Now's when you turn around and storm into the tent," she stated, with a smile on her face. I looked at her and gave her a heated glare, turned on my heel, and, as predicted, stormed into the tent.

I sat down in front of Zedra and practically thrust my palm into her hands. Hermione and Luna quickly followed; probably afraid they were going to miss the great uncovering of my future. She looked up at me like she was surprised - wasn't she supposed to be psychic? - but quickly recovered and looked down at my palm.

"My dearest Ginevra," she began. My eyebrows shot up in surprise. How did she know my name? Maybe she wasn't a fraud after all. But, then I remembered that she was a wizard. I shook my head. What was happening to me?

Hermione leaned forward. I couldn't believe she was actually buying this. I looked back at Luna. She looked normal. Well, as normal as Luna can be, anyway.

Zedra's voice jerked me back to reality, "I understand that you don't believe in the noble art of Divination," she said, "but, someday, my dear, you will realize the error of your ways and appreciate it."

Huh?

I rolled my eyes, trying to make the action as obvious as possible.

"My dear, I see love in your near future," she continued, "your _very_ near future."

I could feel Hermione and even Luna, who seemed to have been shaken out of her world, look at me. Even _I_ felt a bit interested at this point.

"Oh, really?" I asked in what I thought to be a casual manner. And, I suppose it worked, since Zedra narrowed her eyes and looked even more closely at my palm. Suddenly, she smiled and looked up at me.

"You are destined to fall in love with a young man who you believe you despise, but, my dear; truthfully, there is love in both your hearts." I raised an eyebrow. It couldn't be Harry, because she had said 'who you despise'. Maybe it was… Hmmm, I couldn't really think of anyone who I despised – except maybe a… No, it couldn't be - I was destined to fall in love with a… with a…

"I'm supposed to fall in love with a _Slytherin_!" I all but screamed the last word at her. A mischievous smile slowly crossed her lips. I ripped my palm out of her hands.

"Do you wish to know what you can do to get him to confess his love for you?"

I shouted 'No!' at the exact same time that Hermione yelled 'Yes!'

"Very well," she smiled at Hermione – of course she would she would listen to _her_ -, "to find love in him, you must wear only three colours for the remainder of the year." Even though finding love with a Slytherin was not on my to-do-list for any day, I was still a bit curious as to see how exactly I was supposed to find love.

"And, they would be…?" Hermione asked, before I had a chance to. I swear, sometimes it's like she can read my mind. Even though she can be very evil at times I love the girl to death. And Luna, too, of course. They're like sisters to me, which is actually very convenient, since I don't have any sisters.

"Green, black, and white," she stated simply.

"Well, that's definitely a good thing, since those three colours suit me very well." I looked up to see Hermione staring at me with one eyebrow raised.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing, it's just that before we came in here you were absolutely positive that this was a bad idea," she said slowly, before turning around, "No offence," she said to Zedra, who merely smiled and nodded.

"Well, excuse me, for actually paying attention," I said hotly, "I was just doing what I was asked to do." I glared at her, and she glared right back.

"Those Bob-a-Tobs must be at work again," Luna's dreamy voice drifted out from the corner of the tent.

Hermione and I stopped our glaring contest just long enough for Luna to walk across the tent.

"Come on, Hermione, Ginny, you know you guys can't stay mad at each other for long, so what's the point of even starting a fight?"

I considered this, and said, "Girl's got a point. I'm sorry I shouted at you." I held out my arms, as if for a hug, and Hermione smiled before stepping into my embrace.

Very slowly, I stood up and walked over to Zedra, "Thank you for your advice on my love life, but, I don't think I'll be using it," before I shook her hand formally, and took my leave.

Just as I was about to walk out of the tent, I heard Zedra say something.

"Remember, Ginny," she said, "Green, black, and white, remember."

Those were the last words that I heard her say before I left the tent.

—

"Rooooooooooon!" I was walking around Diagon Alley, looking for Ron, and see if he wanted to go to Quality Quidditch Supplies to look at the new brooms.

"Rooooooooooon!" I tried again. Maybe I'd find him if I called Harry.

"Harryyyyyyyyy!" Just as I was about to try again, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around and I saw someone I knew from Hogwarts.

But, it definitely wasn't Hermione.

It wasn't Ron.

No, it wasn't Harry either.

He was a Slytherin.

He was tall.

He had dark hair.

He had dark skin.

He had dark eyes.

He was _very_ good-looking.

He was Blaise Zabini.

Yes, it was him. Not that I care, or anything. But, it was just that he was standing there. And he was looking at me. He was looking at me like I was the funniest thing he had ever seen.

"What?" I blurted out before I could stop myself.

"Oh nothing, Weaselette." He drawled in his annoying voice with the annoying drawl that he was using his voice to do and the annoying…

Ahem.

I spun around and walked into the first shop that I saw, which just so happened to be Quality Quidditch Supplies. To my surprise, he followed me in. I looked over my shoulder, giving him a skeptical look. He smirked.

Argh.

Just to see if he was actually following me or if he had come in here to buy something, I walked around a display full of snitches three times. Just like I thought, he followed me.

This time I talked to him I was going to be calm and collected. I wasn't going to just blurt out a 'What?' and walk away. I took a deep breath and spun around to face him.

"What do you want, Zabini?" The perfect opening line for a conversation, don't you think?

"Like I said, Red, nothing," he said… More like drawled, actually.

"Uh huh, and that's why you just followed me around a snitch display three times."

"No actually, it's a habit of mine to walk around any purchase I'm about to make three times right before I buy it," he said, he sounded like a jerk when he said it like that, but he was so good-looking that it didn't matter. I don't know why the good-looking ones always have to be jerks.

I looked at him like he was crazy. I'm actually very good at looking at people like they're crazy… I think so, anyway.

He smirked.

Big shocker, that.

"Fine, then, I'm leaving," I announced. I turned to leave, and I found him following right behind me. For some reason, I found myself walking around the same display three times before I left. As I had suspected, he followed.

I let out a sigh; I guess I was just going to have to live with it.

But… that didn't mean I couldn't try annoying him.

"Why-" I was cut short

"Ginny!" I spun around, Hermione! That girl is a lifesaver!

"I've been looking for you every where!"

"I was looking for Ron and Harry, to see if they wanted to check out the new brooms."

"I should have thought to check in that Quidditch place," she said, looking thoughtful. That's the only thing wrong with her; she doesn't know anything about Quidditch. Someday, I'm going to force her to get on a broom.

"Quality Quidditch Supplies," I corrected.

"Whatever. I found Luna, and we're going to go get you some new clothes." What? This is injustice! This is an ambush! Aaaah, I have nowhere to go! What do I do? Wait a second, what's so wrong with my clothes that we have to get new ones? When I voiced that thought, she answered very slowly, almost like she was testing out the words to make sure I wasn't going to explode.

"There's nothing wrong with your clothes, it's just that you don't have any green, black or white ones." Oh no! See, I told you this was an ambush. And I thought that she didn't believe!

"I'm not going anywhere." I stomped my foot for emphasis.

"Come on, Red, I'd like to see you shop." Zabini's drawl drifted out from the corner.

Merlin, I had forgotten he was still here. I did the wise thing, and ignored him.

"Why do I need new clothes, anyway?" As soon as I said that, a mischievous smile spread over Hermione's face.

"Because I hid all your old ones." What?

"Um, why?"

"So, you would come to buy new ones with me and Luna."

"I'm not coming!" I stomped my foot again and crossed my arms.

"Ginny, the only outfit you have is the one you're wearing. And, you most definitely can't ' _Accio_ ', because you'd get in trouble. And, you can't try to find them yourself because there's an Invisibility Charm on them."

"Oh, yeah, and who cast that charm?" She couldn't have done it herself because she wasn't of age yet.

"Mrs. Weasley," she said smugly.

"What?" Merlin!

"Mrs. Weasley," she said again. I couldn't believe it! My own mother! Part of an ambush! An ambush against me!

I thought it over. I tried to find a way out of it. I tried to find a place to run. But, then I realized there was no way I could get out of it. So, I caved.

"Fine," I finally conceded.

I was going to regret this.

 **—**

"Ronald Weasley! You leave your sister alone!" Mum had fortunately walked into the room while Ron grilled me on why I had worn nothing but green, black and white for the past three days. I had refused to answer. What was I supposed to do? Tell him that my supposed best friends – who are, just for the record, evil – and my own mother had hidden my clothes, cast Invisibility Charms on them so I wouldn't be able to find them manually, and then forced me to wear these three extremely boring colours for the rest of my life? Yeah, that was definitely going to shut him up.

"But, Mum, just look at her, she's –"

"Ronald, I believe this is yours," Hermione walked into the room holding a piece of parchment that was rolled up and tied with a piece of string.

"Who's it from?" I asked, thankful for the change of subject.

"Some girl named," she squinted and looked closer, "Nicola Ashton. Who's she?"

"Just a girl," he said as he got up from his seat.

"Just a girl, huh? Is that why it says here that this letter is addressed to 'Won-Won' with hearts and stars all around it?"

"I thought I made her promise not to call me that…" he mumbled, just loudly enough for all of us to hear.

I couldn't believe it, Mum and I had been trying to figure out who Nicola Ashton was all summer. And all Hermione had to do was ask him one question, and she had the answer out of him.

I got up and followed Hermione when she walked out of the room.

"How did you do that?" I really wanted to know how she had learnt exactly how to get around Ron _and_ Harry.

"Do what?" she sounded distracted, like her mind was very far away.

"You just got Ron to tell you who that girl was like this," I snapped my fingers.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that Mum and I have been trying to find out who she is all summer."

"And he never told you?"

"Nope, not a word."

"Huh."

"You know, if you taught me how to do that, then I would wear these clothes without complaint for the rest of the year," I said jokingly. She abruptly stopped walking and looked at me.

"You would?" She said in a voice that made me instantly scared.

"Umm…umm…" I was stammering outside, but inside my conscience was chanting 'She's evil, don't listen to her. She's evil, don't trust her.'

"Ginny, you know you want to say yes."

"Um… umm… yes." She smiled at me evilly.

"Good girl, now, if I teach you how to get Ron to tell you things that he doesn't want to tell you, then you'll do whatever I say?" I gave her a look. It was nice to know that at least some of my muscles were still listening to _me,_ and nother _._

"I mean, on the matter of the prediction," she rushed to say.

I took a deep breath; I had to actually consider this. Even though I had said yes, that didn't mean that this deal was final, not until I said it was.

She was looking at me so… so pressurizingly – which probably isn't even a word. So, I did the only thing that made sense at that moment.

"I'll sleep on it." She looked at me like she really didn't believe what I was saying.

"I'll consider it, really, I will." I hurried to assure her.

"Well, okay," she said wearily.

"Well, goodnight."

"Night."

—

The next morning, when I woke up, I found myself with hair that kept changing colour according to my mood. Well, at least one good thing came out of it… well… goodish, I guess. Anyway, I got to be part Metamorphmagus for a day... I suppose.

Anyway, back to my world of misery, the minute I woke up, and saw a strand of sky blue hair hanging in front of my face – which I suppose meant I was feeling calm – and I knew that it was Fred and George.

I stormed down the stairs and right into the kitchen, now with hair the colour of the sky during a storm – since I was angry - and stopped right in front of Fred and George, who were calming sitting at the table and enjoying a healthy breakfast of scrambled eggs, toast and pumpkin juice. I walked right past Mum, who was standing at the stove, making pancakes.

"Fred! George! I'm going to kill you!" I guess I must have looked pretty scary, because they actually looked afraid of me for about two seconds. Just two seconds, though. But, then they regained their normal calm and collected demeanor.

"Why, sister dearest, what may we help you with?" George said.

"And, if I may, who has convinced you that you want to kill us?" Fred chipped in. I glared at him. I think it's very annoying when they do that, say the exact same thing, but in different words, it makes me want my own twin.

"Oh, nothing, dear brother, nobody has convinced me, I have decided to murder you myself," I said, in that extremely calm demeanor that I have learned to maintain around Fred and George, after I've gotten my anger out of the way.

"Ginevra Weasley, what have you done to your hair?" I spun around. Mum was standing there looking absolutely stunned. But, then I guess that she saw the murderous look on my face, and Fred and George standing behind me with smirks on their faces, because she sighed loudly.

"All right, what's the cure?" she asked calmly. Fred and George's faces immediately became a little frightened, and they looked at each other in a cry for help.

"Well, that's the thing," Fred began slowly.

"We haven't found a cure yet," George blurted out. Me eyes widen. What? NO WAY! I don't care anymore, I'm gonna Avada Kedavra them, whether they send me to Azkaban or – Wait a second… I can't do that – I would get expelled for doing a spell out of school, and I'd definitely go to Azkaban for the spell that I did being the Killing Curse. Hey… Wait a second; I don't think they put this spell on me while I was asleep, that's just not what Fred and George do, because they normally put it in your dinner at night. When I voiced that thought, they confirmed that they did, indeed, put a tablet in my food last night.

Deep breath, Gin, deep breath. Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale.

"How long will it take for you to find a cure?" I asked slowly.

"Okay, Ginny, now, don't kill us for this," George started to say, "But," he looked to Fred for help.

"That tablet that we gave you took a long time to make, so," Fred said.

"So, obviously, the tablet with the cure will take an equally long time to make," George finished.

"Two weeks, max," Fred said.

"TWO WEEKS?" I shouted.

"You want me to wait TWO _WHOLE_ WEEKS for my hair to get back to it's normal color?"

"Pretty much."

I guess that's one of the disadvantages of having your brothers own a Wizarding Joke Shop, they try out all of their experiments on you.

"You know what, I think I'm gonna go get some more sleep," I say slowly, before turning around and leaving the kitchen.

I don't think that I can last this long without looking like a Weasley…But, maybe if I chant in my head that I am a Weasley, then, my hair will go back to normal. I stop in front of a mirror in the hallway.

"I am a Weasley, I am a Weasley, I am a Weasley," I chant religiously.

Slowly, my hair starts to regain its normal… redness. I smile, SUCCESS! Wait a second – NOOOOO! It turned bright yellow; I guess that's what's supposed to happen when I'm really happy.

Oh, well, maybe I can survive the first two weeks of Hogwarts thinking the same thing over and over again…

Yeah, probably not.

"Ginny," I spun around to see Hermione standing there, rubbing her eyes, "What's happening? I heard you shouting at Fred and George, something about your …" she stopped rubbing her eyes, and looked up at my bright yellow hair with wide eyes, "hair."

"Yeah, well, long story short, Fred and George put a tablet in my food last night that makes my hair change color with my mood, and they think it might take them up to two weeks to make a cure."

"Two weeks?" she laughed, but, then suddenly, she realized something, "Ginny, you do know that that means that you'll be going to Hogwarts with –,"

"Yes, 'Mione, I do realize that," I interrupted.

"Well… um, have you thought about our deal from last night?" she said, trying to change the subject.

I thought about that for a second… maybe I could get something else out of her. Hmmm… I got it!

"If you teach me how to scare Ron, and Fred and George, too, don't think I haven't noticed how they're scared of you, and wouldn't _dream_ of trying out one of their experiments on you, then I will wear these clothes without complaint for the rest of the year," she opened her mouth, but I was quicker in saying, "and I'll go along with any plan that you might have on the matter of the mystery Slytherin who's meant to fall in love with me." She thought about this for a second, before answering.

"You know what; I think that's actually a very good compromise, Gin," she said, smiling, "so, yes." She held her hand out for me to shake.

I couldn't believe I was actually about to do this, but, hey, if it meant being able to get Ron and Harry to tell me stuff that they didn't even know they were telling me, _and_ getting Fred and George to be afraid of me, then I was ready to do anything.

So, I shook her hand.

"Done?" she asked.

"Done," I smiled.

—

I've decided to never talk to Fred and George Weasley again. Ever! I've made a promise to myself that I will never speak to them again after I bid them goodbye when I leave for Hogwarts, which I did about five minutes ago. Though, I might have to reconsider that, but, only if they send me a surprise like they said they would, and that surprise better be something that comes with the tablet that I'm supposed to get in two weeks, or, preferably, earlier.

"Ginny," Luna waved a hand in front of my face, "I think those Numb-Pops have hypnotized you."

"Uh, huh," I said, unfazed. I'm quite used to her talking about… weird things.

"Ginny, Luna, I'm gonna go find Malfoy," Hermione said suddenly.

"Why?" Luna and I said in unison. The three of us looked at each other, and burst out laughing.

"I have to meet with him to discuss a few things, he's Head Boy, you know," she informed us, after she caught her breath.

"Oh, yeah, I remember it said the Heads' names in my letter." Now I remembered, it said that I would need to be present at the meeting in the train. When I had shown Mum my Prefect badge and my letter, she had hugged me so hard I had practically suffocated. Well, at least she hadn't hugged me as hard as Hermione, who probably _had_ suffocated.

"Oh, Ginny, Hermione, I'm so proud of both of you," she had said, before pulling us each into a bear hug.

"Mum, can't-breath, suffo-cating," I had said. I shuddered at the memory, it is _not_ nice being very nearly killed by your own mother, simply because she was hugging you too tight.

"Oh, my little girl, becoming a Prefect, and in her sixth year, too," she had said, before snatching me up into another bear hug.

I was jerked back to reality by Hermione's voice.

"Come on, you guys, we've got to go to the Prefect meeting," I could tell she was starting to get angry, "Come _on_!"

"Okay, okay," I said, "Merlin." Hermione can be really annoying and bossy when she wants to be. It's quite a thing to watch, actually, when she does them together, like she did just now. Luna and I shared a look.

"Coming," Luna said. She helped me get up, and we left the compartment together.

I looked at Luna, and we decided to have a little fun.

"Hermione, how come you're not mad that Malfoy's Head Boy?" I started. Hermione turned around, and looked at us like we were crazy. She does that a lot lately.

"I don't know, Gin, I guess it's because Dumbledore picked him."

"How come?" Luna asked, in her dreamy voice.

"I don't know, I guess he picked him for a reason," she answered.

"How come?" I asked again.

"Because he had a reason."

"How come?"

"I don't know."

I gasped loudly before turning toward Luna.

"Did I just hear Hermione Granger – the brightest witch of her age – say that she doesn't know the answer to a question?" Hermione's head whipped around so fast I think she might have hurt herself. I could see her face turning bright red.

"I don't know, Gin, I think you did," Luna answered.

"I can't believe my ears," I said. "Can you, Luna?"

"No, I can't, Ginny," Luna answered, "Can you believe your ears?" I shook my head,

"Ginny, how come you're so annoying?" Hermione turned around, and asked me.

"I don't know, I think it runs in the family."

"How come?"

"I think Mum… or Dad… well, one of them, anyway, must have been really annoying."

"How come?"

"I don't know, maybe one of my grandparents was really annoying."

"How come?"

"Hmmm. They must have drunk something rotten," I said. Hermione sighed.

"You're impossible," she said, before walking ahead.

"Ginny, d'you reckon Ron will be there?" Luna said, dreamily. I looked at her weirdly. She looked at me like she had just realized that I was standing there.

"Umm… I meant…umm…," she looked like she was trying very hard to think of something to say.

"I meant, is Ron a Prefect as well this year?" she said suddenly.

"Yes," I said slowly, "Why?"

"No reason," she said nonchalantly, before becoming her old self again.

"Oh, look, there's some Tsrays," she said, before skipping forward happily. I stopped walking, and thought over what Luna had just said.

What just happened? I'm used to Luna being weird, but, her weirdness doesn't usually concern Ron.

"What was that all about, Red?" I spun around, only to see Malfoy and Zabini standing a few feet behind me, with bemused looks on their faces.

"Nothing that concerns _you_ , Zabini," I said, before I turned around and started walking again.

"You sure about that, Weaselette?" That part was Malfoy. I ignored him, and kept on walking.

"What's up with your hair?" I froze, I had forgotten about that. I took a strand of my hair in my hands, only to see it turning from black to green. Uh, oh. I decided to play innocent.

"What about it?" I asked, casually.

"In case you haven't noticed yet, its changing color," Zabini said, I spun around to look at him. His eyes widened, and he turned to look at Malfoy, who was looking at me with just as much surprise.

"What?" He was looking at me with his eyes so wide, that I was beginning to wonder if they had somehow gotten stuck that way. All of a sudden, they burst out laughing.

"What?" I asked again, a little louder this time. My hair turned black again. He stopped laughing, and regained his calm composure.

"Obviously, nobody's told you, Weasley," Malfoy started, "but, your eyebrows are changing color as well."

They're _what_? How come nobody told me? How could they do this to me? How? How? How? I felt like banging my head on a table. I'm going to bloody kill Fred and George! Kill them, you hear me, kill them!

"It was those brothers of yours, wasn't it?" Zabini drawled, lazily, from where he was standing at Malfoy's side. What? How did he know? Could he read my mind? Did he know that they had put something in my food? No, no, clear your mind, Gin! Clear your mind!

"No!" I said, indignantly. I scoffed.

"They put something in your food, didn't they?" he said, smugly, now _convinced_ he was right - which he was… but _he_ doesn't know that. Who knows? Maybe he _can_ read minds.

"No!" I protested time I sounded pathetic even to my own ears. He just smirked at me. I glared at him.

"Malfoy!" Hermione's voice broke the silence, "Come on, everybody else is already here, we have to start the meeting!" Once again, I have to thank that girl for saving me from the mentality of Blaise Zabini. I stopped glaring at him, and instead stuck my tongue out at him, before I turned around and skipped into the compartment. The minute I entered, all conversation stopped, and everyone looked up at me.

"What?" I asked. Why were they staring at me?

"It's pink," Luna informed me.

Huh?

"What's pink?"

"Well, it's blonde now, actually," she said, before she walked over to me and picked up a lock of my hair, and showed it to me. It turned green as realization dawned on me. Oh! So that was why they were all staring at me. I keep on forgetting about that.

"Fred and George," I said, knowing that everybody would understand. Everybody just nodded at me like they knew exactly what I was talking about – which they probably did seeing as Fred and George are living Hogwarts legends. Mostly, because of the prank they pulled in my fourth year. In addition the numerous other pranks that they pulled just make them even more legendary. And, also, the fact that they own a joke shop in Diagon Alley.

"All right, everybody, have a seat," Hermione said, as she entered the compartment, with Malfoy and Zabini in tow. Zabini smirked at me. I scowled. I took a seat, and he came and sat beside me. Why, oh, why, is his life's ambition to kill me with his madness? I scowled again.

"Right, now we're going to tell you who you'll be patrolling with," Malfoy started, "for the rest of the year." The rest of the year? What if it was Parkinson… or Zabini? Everybody around me seemed to be having the same reaction, judging by their expressions… Everybody except Zabini. In fact, he looked pretty happy about it. Hmmm. Maybe, he knew who his partner was going to be. It was possible; his best friend _was_ Head Boy. And my best friend is Head Girl, and she hasn't told me _anything_.

Harrumph.

"I know that you're a little surprised," Hermione said, shooting Malfoy a dirty look, who just shrugged at her, "but-"

"We were too lazy to actually bother to make a separate schedule for each day," Malfoy interrupted her.

"He means to say, _he_ was lazy," Hermione said, shooting Malfoy another dirty look.

"Okay, now, we're going to tell you who you'll be patrolling with," Malfoy said quickly, probably so he wouldn't get killed by everyone in the compartment. Which – judging by their faces – was pretty likely. Hermione quickly started reading out the list.

"Since Dumbledore wants us to promote House Unity, we're going to have to put mainly Slytherins and Gryffindors together," she started.

"And everyone knows that Slytherins and Gryffindors are the ones most in need of House Unity," I heard Zabini say under his breath. I snorted. Everybody looked at me, but Hermione quickly averted their attention.

"When we say your name, please move to sit beside your partner," she said quickly.

"Right, Isabella Waldorf, 6th year Slytherin, William Owens, 6th year Hufflepuff," Malfoy said.

"Charlotte Chase, 6th year Slytherin, Sharon Green, 5th year Ravenclaw," Hermione continued.

"Jacob Sachs, 6th year Gryffindor, Carolyn Brown, 6th year Hufflepuff."

"Jonathan Mayer, 5th year Gryffindor, Allison Grimsdale, 5th year Hufflepuff."

"Annabelle Lee, 5th year Gryffindor, Sylvia Matthews, 5th year Slytherin." Annabelle Lee? Who would torture their child like that? I tuned out as I thought about this. Even though it was a Muggle poem, it was still quite popular in the Wizarding World.

"Harry Potter, 7th year Gryffindor, Pansy Parkinson, 7th year Slytherin." I looked up at Harry, and then my gaze traveled to Parkinson. Neither of them looked too happy about it. Why should they? They've hated each other from day one.

"Ron Weasley, 7th year Gryffindor, Luna Lovegood, 6th year Ravenclaw." I looked at Luna. She didn't look too mad about it. I suppose I could even say that she looked _happy_ and _dreamy_ – in a completely non-Luna way… Almost, like the way she had looked when she had asked me if Ron was a prefect. She couldn't _like_ him… could she? As in, _like_ like. No bloody way! I looked over at Ron; he just looked like he was very… hungry. Nothing new about that.

"Umm, who will you be patrolling with… miss?" A fifth year Hufflepuff said to Hermione shyly… Paul Collins, I think? Yeah, that's it, Paul Collins. Awww, I think he likes her.

"Oh, right, Granger will be patrolling with _me_ ," Malfoy said quickly before Hermione could say a word. She looked up at him weirdly, which I suppose I would do too, if I was in her place. I mean, he sounded kind of… **_possessive_**. Then, she looked back at everybody else – who was staring at them. Hermione looked a bit uncomfortable. Well, at least I don't have to patrol with Malfoy, because I'm patrolling with… Wait a second, who am I patrolling with, anyway? I better ask before the meeting ends.

"Hermione, who am I patrolling with again?" I asked. Hermione looked down at her paper, looking for my name. I must have dozed off when she was reading out the list.

"Weren't you listening, Weasley?" Malfoy said, and he opened his mouth to say some more. Who asked _him_? Hermione shot him a look, and he immediately shut up. Huh.

"Umm, wait a second, Weasley," he said, before he turned his full attention to his list, as though it was the most fascinating thing on earth. I guess Hermione can be really scary when she wants to be, if she managed to scare _Draco Malfoy_ , and, with just one look, too.

"Uh, right, Gin, you're with Zabini," Hermione said.

—

"Back home," Harry said happily, as he helped himself to some shepherd's pie, "finally."

"You could have come to the Burrow a little earlier this year, mate," Ron said, opening his mouth wide, and giving us all the honor of seeing the half-chewed food in it. He was holding a chicken leg in one hand and stuffing mashed potatoes into his mouth with the other, while Hermione watched with a look of pure disgust on her face. I wasn't all that affected, I've been watching Ron stuff his face with food, and talk with his mouth full all summer… and quite some time before that.

"Disgusting," I heard Hermione mutter under her breath.

"You're telling me," I said loudly. Ron and Harry looked at me curiously. Hermione grinned.

"What?" Ron asked.

"Oh, nothing, Hermione and I were just having a silent conversation… topic: Ronald's disgustingness," I answered. Ron opened his mouth to say something, when Luna came and sat down beside me. She looked even more Luna-like than usual. All of a sudden, she sighed dreamily.

"Don't you just love the first day of school? It's so romantic," she sighed once more. Well, that's Luna for you.

"All these couples meeting after three whole months. It's so sweet. Why? I've walked in on no less than three such couples already…" she continued.

"What?" Lavender Brown turned sharply away from Parvati Patil and fixed Luna with an attentive gaze.

"Who?" Parvati joined in. Ah, Lavender and Parvati, better known as 'The Dynamic Duo'. Always eager for some gossip! It's so good to be home!

"Well, I don't know the names of the first two, but I saw Blaise and Amelia snogging in the alcove right outside the Great Hall," she said dreamily. For some reason, I felt something spark inside me when I heard Luna say that Zabini was snogging someone. Something that felt suspiciously like jealousy. No! Never! I am not jealous of Blaise Zabini snogging anyone!

"Amelia _Athwater_?" Lavender said incredulously, interrupting my flow of thoughts. Luna nodded distractedly.

"Who would have thought it? Amelia Athwater and Blaise Zabini," Parvati said wistfully.

"I know," Lavender whined.

"Even though Zabini may be a Slytherin, that doesn't stop me from wanting to snog him!" Parvati said, before she erupted into giggles.

"And that Draco Malfoy…," Lavender said. And then they both pretended to swoon.

"Yes, that Draco Malfoy, he's so irresistible, what with his git-like ways and his _very_ large head," Hermione stated, with a straight face, doing a perfect imitation of Lavender. Ron snorted into his mixture of lamb chops, ketchup and gravy while Lavender and Parvati both looked extremely offended, before they happened to glance at Ron. Their eyes immediately widened, and Lavender looked as if she was about to puke.

"I can't believe I actually snogged him last year," Lavender whispered to Parvati, sounding disgusted. Parvati seemed confused.

"But, Lav, I thought you said that it was cute-," Parvati started to say, but Lavender silenced her with a look. Parvati stopped talking, much to Lavender's relief and Hermione's amusement.

"Oh, look, there's Blaise… but where's Amelia?" Luna looked at the door to the Great Hall, looking surprised. I looked up, and sure enough, there he was.

Blaise Zabini had just strolled into the Great Hall, halfway through the Feast, and he looked as if he might start whistling a happy tune any minute. Every single pair of eyes in the Great Hall had turned towards him, and were now watching him intently. The girls watched on longingly, while the boys looked envious, and the teachers just looked disapproving.

"Who cares about Zabini? Hermione, could you pass me those sandwiches?" Ron said in his extremely Ron-like way.

Hermione gave Ron a look, rolled her eyes at him, and managed to take a small, dainty bite of her own sandwich.

Now, that's what I call multi-tasking.

Swiftly, Hermione turned to me with a gleam in her eyes, while picking up the plate of sandwiches.

"Lesson number one," she whispered. For a few seconds, I had no idea what she was talking about, but, then, it hit me. I looked up at her worshipfully, always the eager student.

"Be nice," she said in a meaningful, yoga-teacher kind of way, as she handed over the plate of sandwiches to Ron, with a gracious smile.

"I _am_ nice," I said firmly. Because I am. I am nice. I am a nice person. I am a _very_ nice person.

"Of course you are," Hermione hastened to correct herself. And she was right to. "But, sometimes, Gin, you're kind of … not."

 ** _Excuse me?_**

Me? Not nice? This is preposterous! Outrageous! Absolutely unbelievable!

Just as I opened my mouth to voice my opinions on this matter, Zabini walked past. He arrogantly flicked my hair as he passed by. I raised my head to glare at him. He looked down at me with an amused grin, which only made me madder. I guess he must have seen it on my face, since that amused grin vanished for a couple of seconds before being instantly replaced by his usual uncaring demeanor.

"Well, _Grey_ , I see you didn't manage to find a cure for your dilemma," he said with a grin.

Why is he calling me 'Grey'? I am a _redhead._ I have _red_ hair… Oh right. My… hair. My grey hair. Right. Time for my secret chant. Weasley, Weasley, Weasley. I relaxed as I saw my hair change colour before my eyes, back to its Weasley red.

"Okaaay, so you did manage to find a cure," Zabini said, looking quite unsure of himself. Ha! I managed to make Blaise Zabini look unsure of himself.

"Go away, Zabini," I said, in a bored-sounding voice, as I turned back towards the table.

He leaned down next to me. "Just let me tell you this, Weasley, you better come prepared to the patrols," he whispered in my ear.

Xxx

"All right, Weasley, Blaise, you'll be patrolling the third-floor corridor tonight," Malfoy informed me and Zabini as Hermione stood beside him, looking extremely annoyed. Probably because every time she tried to say something, Malfoy silenced her. He's so controlling.

"Okay, Draco," Zabini said pointedly. Weird. "We got it."

Malfoy nodded to Zabini and Hermione offered me a parting smile. Together, they walked off, arguing about something or the other.

I looked at Zabini, "Let's just get this over with." I started to walk away. He hurried after me.

"We're supposed to stay together, Red."

"We are. In case you didn't notice," I rolled my eyes at him. We walked along in silence for a while.

Even though I had planned to ignore him for the rest of the patrol, I quickly realized that unless I wanted to die of boredom, I would need to say something.

"So," I broke the silence. Zabini looked at me in surprise, but quickly composed himself.

"So," he repeated, looking at me expectantly. I didn't know what to do. Flustered, I turned my head away from him, annoyed that I was a redhead. Well, technically, I wasn't anymore, what with my hair changing colour every five seconds, and all. Damn Fred and George!

I had to think of something to say, quickly. So, I said the first thing that came to my mind.

"How are things going with Amelia?" Forget Fred and George, damn me! Why did I have to say that? I was horrified with myself.

"Who?" Zabini looked confused for a second, but then recognition dawned on him. "Oh, her, there's nothing going on with her. She was available, and I needed a snog." He smirked. "But, how do you know about her?"

"I just heard it somewhere along the grapevine," I said coolly and looked away. He smirked at me again.

"Admit it, Red, you're stalking me."

"I am not!" I practically shouted, getting flustered. I'm not so sure why. I mean, it's not as if though he was right.

"If I'm not mistaken, you're jealous," he smiled at me. Yes, actually smiled. Instead of smirked. For the first time - and probably the last - Blaise Zabini smiled. Has the world stopped spinning? Nope. Just that my head has started to.

I was terribly confused, because of two things. First, he had accused me – wrongly – of stalking him, and second, he had smiled at me. But, it seemed he was smirking again, at my shock at his words.

We had, by this time, stopped walking. I took a step closer to him.

"I am not jealous of her, or any other of your little girlfriends," I whispered, trying to give off the impression that I was dangerous. Like that's gonna happen. Although, even if I do say so myself, I can throw a pretty good Bat-Bogey Hex.

So, yeah, don't mess with me.

He stepped closer as well. "C'mon, Red, admit it, you want me." As he talked, he leaned to the side slightly so his lips were directly over my ear. I couldn't breathe. He was that close to me.

I took a step back and he took one forward. I realized that my back was pressed against the wall. I f he took one more step, our bodies would be pressed together. Not such a bad thought, actually. I realized that I should probably hex him.

I had my hand on my wand, when, suddenly, I heard footsteps coming down the corridor. I placed my hands on his chest, and pushed back as hard as I could. Which was not very hard, unfortunately. I've gotta work on that.

Thankfully, Zabini heard them too, so he moved away from me. I turned toward the footsteps and saw a stray student coming our way. That was a bit odd, as most students would try to be less obvious when they were trying to get back to their dorms after hours. After I had scolded her and told her to get back to bed – with Zabini standing by and doing nothing – I remembered that she a love-struck expression on her face. She had probably been returning from a late-night rendezvous with her boyfriend.

I had noticed, also that she hadn't really seemed to care much when I had taken twenty points away from her house.

A lot like one of Zabini's little fan girls, I thought.

An awkward silence had descended upon us after the odd Zabini-almost-pressing-his-body-up-against-mine incident. I found it a bit strange when I discovered him openly watching me with a grin on his face, no less after what had just happened. Then again, he _was_ Blaise Zabini – just one of those people it's impossible to embarrass.

"What?" I said. It came out sharper than I had intended.

"Nothing," he said. "Nothing at all."

"Whatever."


End file.
